I saw "etc" in the description on this forum section so I figured I would say hi here.

I am a lone trainer, although I do train with some western, Karate, Judo, Ba Gua, and Shing Yee guys. I have no delusions about my skill level, and lacking a dojo most of my training is spent in research and philosophy. I hold my own most of the time in sparing and drills, of course that took me an inefficient amount of time to attain. Lots of wrong turns, but I like to think I have learned from them, and do now finally feel like I am on the right path. I do however have an irrational dislike of swords. I really don't know why. Call it a quirk.

Hope I can hang out around here, learn maybe ask some questions. My dream of course is to someday train in Japan, but I know I should probably find a dojo somewhere in states first.

I have a small bit of primer in Japanese, mostly martial terms and simple sentence structure.

I've watched these forums for a while, but just now decided to hop into the fray.

I guess the only other things to say would be that I am a student at Auburn University in Engineering, have stable happy releationship with a very pretty girl, and hope that I can learn alot around here.

Hello Mr. Wilson! Nice to have you on board. Where have you gotten most of your info. for training in the Bujinkan from? And I hope we can all help you to make some progress in your training. Ask or first do a search for any questions you have.Hope to hear more from you.Barry

Posted on: 2006/10/25 12:36

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Can you strike the wind?Caressed by the wind I talk with it.Can you throw the earth?Nourished by the earth, I cultivate it.Can you grapple with the fire?Warmed by the fire I feed it.

Well, sadly most has been from books, and my cross training with the other martial artists. I hope that you don't assume I'm not serious or unskilled because of this. I have encountered people trained in a bujinkan dojo from time to time and all of them have said I'm doing good. I have a feeling that at this point if I could get to a dojo I could probably move pretty quickly.

Of course realizing that my physical technique training can only go so far with text, pictures, and video. (Not video courses, I didn't feel I could trust that.) I enjoyed a video I found of papa-san doing some breathing excercises, and have found many other videos which of course I always try to take with a grain of salt.

The biggest growth has been sparring and drills with a cross -training group here on campus. I have been able to test out the techniques I have gleaned from my library, and see how they work and of course reversed it so that my training partners and I could experience it conversly.

I have especially enjoyed the gyakudori techniques, as well as playing with Gassho no Kamae, and the things I found out with Ate-Komi Tonso-Gata on pg. 164 of The Way of the Ninja. The action from Hachimonji no Kamae and a feeling of vulnerability caused my training partner to feel confident in cutting me, but the ease of speed on shift forward and the change of feeling vulnerable to in control was so quick I didn't notice it until I was forward and on him. I must sound pretty silly talking about this, but this was just a recent epiphany that made me quite happy. I guess I should stop talking about that before I make a complete fool out of myself. I am sure there are some things I don't understand that I should.

But anyway, I definetely concider myself a no-belt. I have done far more studying on the philosophy than the technique, but I hope to someday get ranked and see how well I managed to do on my own.

I'd also like to add my welcome Mr. Wilson, there are a lot of experienced people on this site. I do hope you can locate another practicioner of the Bujinkan to train with because without that it is as if you were continuously "re-inventing the wheel". That is, as you already know, a very inefficient use of your time resource. This art is all about how you think and how you move because of the way your thoughts work. I know that sounds a bit strange, but you cannot separate yourself into 'parts' and expect to get the best from those resources. They must work in cooperation, ALL of you must be "there". One of the things you can do is to explore the most efficient way to "get out of the way". By that I mean accomplishing that with the least amount of time, the least movement, and the smallest amount of energy. Good luck in your search.

I actually had a question about some of that. I have been practicing with using small steps to simply shift a little bit, which has worked on anything coming straight towards me or from overhead, and as long as I'm not thinking about it I usually move fast enough find myself in a good position.

However, when it comes to attacks from my sides, especially horizontal sword swings the feeling I get with the straight attacks vanishes and I feel my only neutral option is to drop which only works some of the time. The other thing I find myself wanting to do is move into them which I find myself doing most of the time. (Probably because it usually works.)

I guess my newbie question of the day would be is there this middle area without moving in or retreating that can deal with these attacks that seem oblique to me, or is this just my perception and truth is there is no difference?

Welcome to Kutaki Brother Wilson. Best of luck in all your training and life decisions. Personally, I wouldnt worry too much about rank, but I think out of the bunch on here, if you got any questions, we'll all do the best we can to help you out brother.

Posted on: 2006/10/26 0:52

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"Rhythm is something you're born with. You either got it or you don't." -Michael Cody

Regarding your question about horizontal attacks, I would suggest that you experiment with your cross-training partners. For example, you have a roundhouse kick coming for your ribs - what do you do against this? Play with the distancing, angling, and timing, but SLOWLY in training. What happens if you simply step in the same direction the kick is following? What if you back up from the kick - is the impact of the attack harder? Or, you can move into the kicker as the kick is coming...who knows... Also, it would help to see what makes the attack powerful - remember angling, distancing, and timing are essential in taijutsu, as Soke Hatsumi will often say.

I hope this helps you in your training. Keep your fire/passion/drive alive, and gambatte dude!

Thanks for the warm replies. I was a bit concerned about posting since I haven't had formal training.

I will continue to try things with the horizontals, but most of what I have come up with was by doing exactely what you suggest, I just feel like I have run out of ideas from my little library on that particular front.

I also just wanted to make sure that I didn't give you the wrong impression about rank Mr. Cody. I just meant see what I managed to learn on my own in comparison to what one learns in-dojo. WHEN I manage to get to a dojo I assure you I will be willing to start from the beginning.

Just from my self training I have changed the way I think over the years and the changes have always been for the better. I am much more layed back about things, and definetely have an easier time telling how others are feeling, or what they are thinking. Its been the attainment of these small attributes that has kept me training all this time, and also what I have (for lack of a better scale) used as a barometer to tell how I was doing, if not technique wise, at least as a resident of the planet.

The way I see it, if just my little self-training has provided these things I can only imagine what proper training can do, and as a result am willing to go from the start if I have to, as many times as I have to, and trust me I have had to restart before, heh.

Of course as Papa-san (I hope it's ok for me to call you that Mr. Martin) said that is inefficient, but I do feel like I have learned a degree of patience out of the whole experience. It's quite possible that I am worse than everyone on this board but I do have something I can tell you. Don't take your dojo's, teachers, and training partners forgranted. As my mother use to say, "There are starving kids in Africa right now!"

Didn't want to make a new topic, but I finally got to go train with a group. I only had to bum a car, and drive an hour-fifteen. =)

It was incredible. I went out to Columbus with Shidoshi Jeff Davis, and his small contingent of students, and it was amazing. I "knew" that nothing would be like having techniques applied on, but I couldn't have KNOWN.

Apparently I at the least punch right and fall good. I have some things to work on just like I thought I would, and can't wait to go back.